


Nate’s Motley Crew—The Interlude Job

by crayonbreakygal



Series: Lock the Damn Door [7]
Category: Falling Skies, Leverage
Genre: Drama, Multi, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-23
Updated: 2016-09-23
Packaged: 2018-08-16 21:29:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8118199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crayonbreakygal/pseuds/crayonbreakygal
Summary: Sophie and Parker get separated from the other three.  Takes place after season four, parallel to the Falling Skies universe.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Just an interlude what happened between the time that they joined the 2nd Mass and when the war finally ended. I really am torturing poor Eliot here. Nate just keeps pushing him away, for good reason, mind you. Enjoy!

Nate’s Motley Crew—The Interlude Job

Takes place after season four, parallel with the Falling Skies universe.

Too many bodies.  Too many people dead from the ambush.  People had scattered to the winds, run every which way. No way would they find them.

Eliot was checking every single one, just in case.

“I shouldn’t have let them go.  They should have stayed with us.”

“If you say it’s all your fault, so help me, I will punch you.”

Nate felt it was all his fault, but Eliot was not going to let him go down that path.

“They’re not here, Nate.”

“How do you know?”

“Could have crawled off somewhere and died?” Hardison asked.

“Parker could have done that, but I’m just not seeing it.  This strike was quick and dirty.  Maximum casualties.”

The Esphani were getting antsy, taking risks where Nate would never have. Something was going on that they didn’t know about. They’d been separated from the 2nd Mass for a long time now, what seemed like years, but was only months.  Better that than have Eliot kill Pope.

“What do we do?” Hardison asked the two older men.  “We have to find them.”

“I have faith in them, Nate.  I do.  They’re good at staying out of danger, going to ground.  Let’s just hope that’s what Parkers suggests.”

 

“Do you think we’ll ever see them again?” Parker asked one night while they shivered in the cold.

“We have to have hope, Parker.  Only thing keeping us going.”

Sophie was tired, dirty, hungry, but for now, they were as safe as they could be.  They’d taken up with another group, because there was a bit of safety in numbers. 

“I miss them.”

“So do I.”

Sophie held Parker as she cried, knowing that if Parker looked up at her, she’d see a tear or two coming out of Sophie also.

“Do you love him?” Parker asked as she finally settled down, snuggling up against Sophie.

“Nate?  Entirely.  I just hope the man’s too stubborn to die.”

“I love them too.  All of them. Is that weird?”

“No, dear.  It’s not weird.  It’s how you love them. I certainly don’t love Hardison or Eliot the way I do Nate.  Or you for that matter.  It’s different. But I do love you all. Never mistake that.”

“I love you too, Sophie.  I do.”

“I know you do sweetheart.  I know.”

“What if it’s just us now?  Can you love me as much as Nate?”

“Let’s not talk about that. We will find them.  We have to.”

Could she love Parker that way?  Never.  That didn’t mean that she couldn’t love again, even if it happened to be Parker.  Parker gently placed a small kiss on Sophie’s lips, then settled down, keeping each other warm and safe, at least for the night.  They’d get through this, somehow, find a way back to the other three. It may not be tomorrow or the next day, but she’d find a way back, even if it took years.

“I love you, Parker.”

“Love you too, Soph,” Parker yawned as she drifted off to sleep.

 

“Don’t.”

“I wasn’t.  Dammit, Nate. Just let me help.”

Nate’s head swam, but he was getting clean, even if he fell over.  The head wound, which had closed over finally, still made him dizzy at times.  And the fact that they hadn’t had much in the way of food didn’t help matters.

The showers they’d found helped take the grime off, even though they were cold as hell. Nate would take cold and clean over cold and grimy any day.  The fact that Eliot was seeing him naked and for fuck’s sake, staring, didn’t make it any better.  Eliot turned his head sharply and got down to business of cleaning himself off as much as he could.

It had been six long months without Sophie and Parker.  To say they were worried was an understatement.  Nate was sometimes livid, seeing chances to go find them, then ending up fighting instead.  Someone had the bright idea that Nate was good at strategy, with Eliot there by his side and Hardison thinking up the craziest things to do with the tech available to them.  People kept flocking around them, like they were gods or something.  Except when they did, people died fighting beside them. Too many good people had fallen in the last six months, and Nate couldn’t tell whether they were making any kind of progress or not.

It didn’t take Nate long to get clean because he didn’t have any hair left.  Eliot had to sheer part of it off to get to his head wound to stitch it up. It had started growing back in, but instead of him being lopsided, Hardison had figured out that he should just lose it all instead so when it did grow back, it wouldn’t look so weird.  At least he wasn’t bald now.

“So, we good? I mean, where are we going from here? Any word?”

Was there any word? There would be communication between groups, then nothing.  They’d fight their own battles until it seemed like everyone could come together.

“No word. Nothing.  They’re ramping up for something big. I can feel it.”

“Heard a rumor, a few hours ago. I’m having Hardison check it out.”

“About?” Nate said as the water ran over his head.

“Two women. Sort of matches their description. I just don’t know, Nate.”

“I am not giving up hope.”

“But what if you have to?”

He’d never give up hope that the two were still alive. 

“I won’t.”

“I love them just as much as you do.”

“No, you don’t,” he yelled, not caring who heard him.  “They’re mine. Do you understand?”

“Not like I can’t love them too?” Eliot argued back.  “Hell, look at Parker.  I just, it hurts to feel this way. Do you realize that?”

Did Nate realize how much it hurt every day to get up without Sophie by his side?  Not have Parker be there suddenly scaring the crap out of him?

“I know you do. It’s just…”

“This thing, just between the two of us, it doesn’t matter anymore.  I know you’re obsessed with finding Sophie and Parker. I am too.  I just want you to know, dammit, want you to know that I’m there for you, just like I am for Hardison.”

“We’re too tied up in each other.”

And it hurt every day looking at the two of them, knowing that he could possibly hurt them, get them killed by what he was doing.

The threadbare towel didn’t do much to get him dried off, but Nate did it anyway.  The clothes weren’t all that clean, but he was and it felt good, better than he’d felt in a while. Eliot crouched down in front of him as he tried to put his boots on, helping him.

“I’m not an invalid.”

“But your head still hurts like a son of a bitch. I know.  I see you hold it in.”

Nate kept holding everything in, like the fact that if Eliot didn’t stop looking at him like that, he’d crumble, he’d cry and scream and possibly hit the man just for being kind to him.

“You don’t know. I can’t lose anyone else. I dream about them, at night.  Then I dream about everyone I’ve gotten killed these last few months.”

Nate looked into Eliot’s eyes, knowing he was just trying to help.

“I got you.”

“I know.”

The kiss that they shared next was intense, with both of them fighting for control.  Eliot was so different than Sophie.  Sophie was soft, while Eliot had all these angles and muscles.  While Sophie could make him wither with just a look, Eliot almost brought him to his knees.

“I can’t,” Nate finally said, pulling away.

“I know.  Besides, my boyfriend might get a little jealous.”

Nate leaned his head against Eliot’s neck and lost it then. All the months of anguish poured out as Eliot held him.  Shit, he had to get his shit together and lead these people and here he was, crying like a baby before a man that would give him anything that he wanted, even his life, if need be.

“Fuckin’ believe me when I tell you I will find them.  The two of them have survived so much.  Sophie could talk her way out of the grim reaper visiting and Parker would steal the key.  We’re finding them. Got it?”

“Yes, sir, Colonel.”

“Fuck off, Nate.”

“Gladly.”

They stared at each other for a few moments, almost like he could communicate with Eliot the way he did Sophie. Their non-verbal communication was getting better, but it would never be the same.  Maybe with time it could. Could he replace Sophie with Eliot? Hopefully not in this lifetime.

“I know I’m not a replacement for Sophie,” Eliot started.

“Are you a damn mind reader?”

“No, just perceptive.”

As he sank into Eliot’s warmth, it felt good to just feel for a while, have Eliot’s arms around him, to feel human again.

“Thanks,” Nate got out once he put a little distance between himself and Eliot.

“No problem.  Whatever you need, I’m here.”

“I won’t use you, to replace Sophie.”

“I know. And I won’t let you. Just like I won’t let Hardison replace Parker.  It’s not gonna happen.”

Just then Hardison walked in, shook his head and kept on going. Stripping right in front of them, he turned on the shower to get clean too.

“Go on.  Keep talking.  Or whatever it was you were doing.  Don’t mind me.”

“Quit being an ass, Hardison.”

“Eliot, I am not an ass.  Now Nate, I’m not sure about.”

Nate rolled his eyes as he pulled his shirt over his head.

“I’m not jealous. No, no.  Not gonna get jealous.”

“I’m leaving,” Nate announced as he saw where this was headed.

“Nah.  Just, Hardison, wait.  Just one minute.  No matter what, we’re here for each other.  And if I hear one more word, that word, I’m gonna have to smack both of you upside the head. Got it?”

“He sure is giving lots of orders this morning, General.  You think we need to make him behave?”

Nate laughed at Hardison’s attitude.

“Might have to, eventually.”

“I need a towel. Where’s the towel?” Hardison told the two.

Eliot threw him the damp one, but still stared at Nate as he did it.

“We good?”

“Yeah. We’re good.”

“I’m not,” Hardison said as he finished his shower.

“Goodbye, you two.”

“You could join?”

“Not in this lifetime,” Nate said over his shoulder.

“Hey, we could make it worth your while,” Eliot joked.

Nate gave him the finger as he left the room.

“Hey, no flicking the towel. It might hurt,” Nate heard Hardison say as he walked down the hall.

He certainly didn’t understand the two’s relationship, but he wasn’t going to ask either.  He didn’t even understand his relationship with Eliot, but that wasn’t something that needed to be solved right that instant. 


End file.
